Sold For My Body

Chapter 5.1: The Job

“But oh well, let’s not start this night with such depressing stories from the past. Sheena, this is Marie.” Her voice returned to a cheerful tone and pointed at the woman cutting vegetables on the side of the table. She looked shy and timid and was too scared to look me in the eye. Instead she just gave me a small smile and waved awkwardly before going back to what she was doing. Even though she couldn’t greet me properly, I can at least say that looks kind. 

“This is Jean.” Canary said and pointed at the woman who’s cleaning a nearby table. Just like Marie, she didn't say anything, nodded her head and continued to clean and sweep the place. I simply nodded at her back even though she wasn’t looking anymore. “The name of the girl beside Jean is Meredith. She’s the oldest one among all of us.” She said and Meredith turned to me before giving me a cool wink. She definitely looks like the mature type. “And you might have greeted each other already, but the girl beside you is Canary. So lastly, I am Lora.” Lora said while pointing at Canary and then herself and I smiled back to them.

“It’s nice to meet all of you. I hope we can get along well.” I told them with a determined voice and gave them a slight bow, they all replied the same with a tone of gentleness. Somehow, I feel happy that they are all warm people. I was thinking they would give me a hard time because I was a newcomer. Instead, they all welcomed me here with a smile despite being stuck in such a situation. No, perhaps it’s because we’re stuck in the same situation that we all know that we can only be kind to each other. The dark organization is a dangerous place for us, and we can’;t afford to be hostile to each other because we’re the only kind of help we’ll ever get. 

Really, I hope that all of us will be freed someday.

We settled down and helped each other serve the food we cooked together. It consisted of a simple bowl of soup and some bread for each of us. This is the first decent meal that I received ever since I got sold here, so my chest felt warm as I ate. I am just so grateful to receive such a blessing after all that I;ve been to. Somehow, this place is way warmer than my own house. Maybe it’s because there was no Aunt to scold, beat and kick me even though I did nothing wrong. With only these girls who were fighting for survival by my side, I feel a little safer.

“Let’s discuss the rules here.” Lora’s face turned a bit more serious as she distributed our shares of food. “The first thing to remember is, it is forbidden to bring a man inside your quarters, no matter how urgent the situation is. We must protect everyone’s safety here.”  Meredith spoke up first. “Did you get that, Sheena? You are allowed to meet a man outside but don’t ever bring him here.” She said sternly.

“Yes, I understand.” I said she nodded before proceeding to the next one.

“Second, everyone must offer a fair share from their own salary to contribute to the food, water, expenses and such. And so, every month, you need to give 10 birks to Lora since she is the one who manages our funds here. She also manages the ingredients and miscellaneous for all of us. Your money will come from the jobs you take, so I hope you work hard to pay the fees.” Meredith added and I nodded once again.

“If you fail to give a share for two consecutive months, we will kick you out of our quarters.” Jean commented before taking a bite from her bread.

“That’s right.” Meredith agreed.

“Yes, I understand.” I said.

 “Lastly, you need to take part in household chores. There are lots of things to be done here even if we get busy with work, so help as much as you can, please.” Meredith said with a begging tone.

“I see.” I replied.

“Ah, before I forget. Don’t steal.” She added as she was about to get back to eating. “I know that all of us are having a hard time but stealing anyone’s hard earned money will be the last straw, okay? We will not tolerate theft here.” Meredith emphasized her words through her intense stare. I gulped before nodding again.

“I understood everything.” I replied.

“Good!” Her stance became a bit more relaxed. She sat back and lit up her cigarette.

We had a few more minutes of small talk before we finally finished eating. I helped them with cleaning the table and washing the dishes. I must admit that I was not expecting such a warm and enjoyable night with people I barely knew. Things are still a little awkward because we just met, but their treatment of me was better than I thought. I hope everything goes well.

“Sheena?” Canary called out to me as I was preparing to leave. “Do you mind if I stay in your room for a few minutes? I can’t sleep at all.” She pleaded to me and I nodded. She must be having a hard time sleeping.

“I don’t see any problem with it.” I responded with a shrug and she smiled happily.

I apologized for my messy room, I was only focused on changing my clothes and didn’t have time to take off the dust and mold. Surprisingly, she offered to help me tomorrow with the cleaning and decoration. That would be a great help for me so I agreed to her. She’s very kind.

“How long has it been since you’ve become an informant?” I asked her out of curiosity.

“It’s been two years. I’ve been stuck here for two whole years.” She replied before sighing.

“How did it go for you?” I asked her.

“To be honest, I really was terrified at first. I didn’t know anything about this job, after all.” She explained with a sarcastic laugh. “I made a lot of mistakes and failed many tasks. I was punished a lot for it and I cried about my incompetence every day, but I am glad Madam Meredith showed me the ropes. She is  such a kind person.” She smiled, but her expression soon turned bitter. “I still need five million birks to buy off my contract. The years feel endless. Sometimes I just feel like giving up and surrendering in this battle but I’m glad I haven’t yet. I still have a long way to go before I attain freedom, Sheena.” She explained sadly and I held her hand to give her assurance.

“I know we can do this. I don’t know how long it will take, but I am sure we can escape this place someday.” I said with determination and she nodded in agreement, with a bit of hope coming back to her eyes. I will search for Sheila and save her, too. That’s why I need to be brave. I can’t just give up now.

“Thank you, Sheena.” Canary said gently, her smile looked a lot brighter than before. She straightened her posture to look a bit more serious before speaking again. “Do you want to know more about our job?” she asked.

My ears perked up after hearing her question. Knowing about that will definitely be beneficial for me. She must have been worried that I would end up clueless just like her. If I want to survive in this place, I at least need to know what I need to do and what I’m not allowed to do. It’s good to have Canary here with me. 

“Yes, please enlighten me.”